


March 14th

by Inurshuh



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alcohol Abuse, F/M, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Mourning, emotionally stunted Tashigi, emotionally stunted Zoro, low key future lovers, lowkey friendship, no beta we die like old men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:06:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24298555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inurshuh/pseuds/Inurshuh
Summary: “So you’ll continue what you’re doing. You’ll accomplish his dream, and your dream too. And somewhere along the way, today won’t be as bad. But I won’t lie to you, it gets harder before it gets better.”“But we’ve all lost someone that we loved, and we all know what it’s like to get a little lost.” You can’t help but snort at his comment, “Says the man that could get lost in this closet.  When aren’t you lost?”March 14th was the 2nd worst date on her calendar.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro & Tashigi, Roronoa Zoro/Tashigi, Smoker/Tashigi
Kudos: 14
Collections: ZoTash prompts





	March 14th

**Author's Note:**

> This a from a weekly Zotash Prompt Challenge on Tumblr - PROMPT: Date / One-Shot  
> Definitely not cannon, but safe to assume this is post the 2 year time skip & Punk Hazard. A continuation of "Are all Captains like this, or is it just mine?" (Could be read right after or separately, whatever works best for you.) As always, I don't own One Piece *bows down to Oda*
> 
> Enjoy!

_Breathe in._

_Breathe Out._

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath in._

It shouldn’t hurt as much as it does, but it does. The chest is a funny cavity, housing your heart, your lungs… The breaths of air coming from your lungs offset by the oxygen, the blood rushing through the body. The complex chemistry of oxygen, blood floor, and your nervous system combing to ensure that your brain keeps functioning. That your body keeps moving.

_Breathe in._

_Breathe Out._

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath in._

Did you know that every time your heart beats, your arteries carry 20 to 25 percent of your blood to the brain? Or that every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you create a connection in the brain?

The low hum at the back of her head is quantifiable proof that she’s creating new connections, mind going a million miles an hour, retracing every moment, every interaction. No matter how big or how small. A starting moment of comfort despite the deep breaths you’re taking.

_Breathe in._

_Breathe Out._

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath in._

Truly, the human being was a spectacular creation- a supernova of intelligence, physical prowess, and evolutionary capabilities. O _r… It should be. I’m pretty sure I’m broken though._

Right now, everything is light; everything is floating, creating a cacophony of peace and harmony. Chest heavy, each breath expands your chest and the blood flowing through your veins seems sluggish and slow. Your fingers can’t maintain their grip, but is it truly that bad?

There’s always a sense of calm, sailors used to tell stories sitting at the docks waiting to set sail, before the storm- that the sea was always the most peaceful before the biggest storms. How fitting, or how ironic; the storm is raging inside but the waters are calm outside.

_Breathe in._

_Breathe Out._

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath in._

Zoro is a constant at her back, arms encircling you to keep you firmly planted in the present. You’re not sure when that became a necessity but you’ve never been happier for his warmth, for the solid strength that he represents. You’re not sure she can be strong today, of all days, but you’re glad you don’t have to be. Not with him.

He’d known before the others, and there’s something to be said for his intuition. How truly frustrating it could be, but how much you depended on it now.

His fingers play with the strands of your hair as they sit below deck, in a closet that was marked “Cleaning” but had been empty. You’d wanted to be alone in your misery. He’d managed to find you before you could even finish. Had sat down, lifting your prone body to settle in close in the small closet, deep voice breaking the quiet, “It never goes away.”

That was six hours ago.

_Breathe in._

_Breathe Out._

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath in._

“There is nothing more painful than being left behind. There is nothing that takes away the pain of losing a loved one. But you do them justice by living, by fighting.” His hands rub your wrists, his fingertips dance up to palms. A vial drops out of clammy hands, fingers clutching at nothing and eyes too heavy, slowly closing. His hands a heavy pressure on your chest as he soothes the soul with a low hum deep in his chest. The closest you had ever heard a human purring.

“Despite our failures, we’re more than them. To get stronger, you must fail. To fail is to be human. And to be human, to exist is never wrong.” Fingers caress her arms and she settles further into him. 

“There is… beauty in death, and beauty in living. But no one really ever tells you what it’s like to be the one left behind. No one talks about how hard it is to keep ongoing. “

There are goosebumps erupting across the skin, and his fingers have inched up to your clavicle, fingers running smoothly to chase the loose strands of hair stuck to your neck, slick with sweat from cold chills and his hands are a cool reprieve, an oasis of cool water in a desert.

_Breathe in._

_Breathe Out._

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath in._

“I was a kid, but I had known loss before. Nothing prepared me for it though. I didn’t get how she’d fallen down some stairs. Or how she could die after making me a promise. Promises are important when you’re a kid. They mean the world. We build what we are off of them. Promises are like dreams.”

Skin still tingling, you feel a bed sweat fall down the side of your face, quickly caught by his finger as he continues memorizing every insignificant detail of you. Every scar highlighted on pale skin. You’re freezing and shivering, but there are bursts of stifling heat, sweat rolling down your body with every burst and

_Breathe in._

_Breathe Out._

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath in._

“So we’d made a promise, and somehow she’d died the very next day. Someone so sure on their feet, so sure of themselves at just 12 years old, died falling down the stairs. The irony wasn’t lost on me, even then. She wasn’t fragile like other girls, she’d fought tooth and nail with all the boys and she’d won every single match. She beat grown men, even.”

His arms tighten for a second right-hand landing on her stomach, the other above her heart. “Don’t forget, Tashigi.” His voice is hoarse, a raspy sound that makes your eyes flutter as heat settles low in your stomach. You feel light, back arching slightly as your skin feels tight, but chilled to the bone. He just pulls you back even closer, his hands not missing a beat and coming to rub your arms. Eyes shut you focus on his breathing, the strong steady rise of his chest under the back of your head, his coat open, haramaki slung low on his hips, and his skin is so warm.

He had taught you to always side with justice, true justice, the kind that helped people, protected them against tyranny and slavery, from violence. The Strawhats stayed that course and so you had stayed with them.

_Breathe in._

_Breathe Out._

_Deep breath in._

_Deep breath in._

“But that promise I made her, that had been very real. Talking to her father reminded me that no matter what her dream had to be accomplished. Because she’d been so sure that she’d be getting weaker, that I’d be stronger just because I was a man and she was a woman. And even though she was gone, that promise was real. That promise wasn’t just for me, it had been for her too.”

He’s holding your hands in his own, stretching your arms to your side as he settles his back against the wall, and you feel every shift of his muscles as he re-arranges you to sit fully in his lap.

_March 14th was the 2nd worst date on her calendar._

_It’s… His… Birthday…_

_“Look, kid, you ever, and I mean EVER tell anyone when my birthday is, I’ll send you back to Punk Hazard and you’ll be on chore boy duty for eternity!”_

_“Listen. I’m another year older and damn sure another year wiser. And all I wanted to know today, which as you so painfully reminded me is my birthday, was an answer to our problems. To all this shit we’re seeing. We’re going to stop chasing The Strawhats, and we’re going to start fixing the Navy. Because this just doesn’t sit with me. I’ve never really had a dream before, kid, but I think to fix the Navy, and end the corruption- that might be it.” “Yes, sir, Vice Admiral Smoker! But… Are you sure we’re ready to do this?” “I promise you, Tashigi, that I won’t rest until we fix this. And I’m not an easy man to take down. But I’ll need someone that I can trust that can help…” “Then I promise you, Smoker, that I’ll be there- every step of the way until your dream comes true! I’ll help make sure it comes true!”_

“So you’ll continue what you’re doing. You’ll accomplish his dream, and your dream too. And somewhere along the way, today won’t be as bad. But I won’t lie to you, it gets harder before it gets better.”

“But we’ve all lost someone that we loved, and we all know what it’s like to get a little lost.” You can’t help but snort at his comment, “Says the man that could get lost in this closet. When aren’t you lost?”

_March 14th was the 2nd worst date on her calendar._

Lips gentle on her temple, her cheek and his face settling into the crook of her shoulder and neck, the warm puffs of breath is a steady beat she can focus on, and Tashigi knows calm, knows peace.

But this day isn’t all bad. 

_March 14th._

_Smoker’s Birthday._

_The 2nd time Rororonoa Zoro had been her anchor in the ocean, and the 1st time that she knew without a doubt that something was there. Not quite a rivalry, not quite a friendship. But something just as deep, something just as solid._

3 months, 2 dreams, 1 promise.

The waters were calm. So were the skies.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story! Please feel free to let me know what you think!
> 
> And OF COUSE, don't forget to join the cult. We're super fucking rad.  
> [Zotash Discord](https://discord.gg/FYxvjb).


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